I've decided to learn Latin! My long term goal is to learn through classes at the community college, but in the short term I will work through the Wheellock book until the first semester intro starts in the fall 2004. <br /><br />I'm working on chapter 2 and I'm sure I will have many<br />questions. <br /><br />I am interested in a source of Latin language tapes that I can listen to in my car during the morning and afternoon commutes. I have a 30-40 miniute commute each way.<br />Any suggestions?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Glen Hein<br /><br /><br /><br />

<br />Hi Glen! Welcome to Textkit. I'm happy to hear we have another Latin student on board. Feel free to ask questions in the Latin forum, you'll get lots of help here. We have several people here who are also working through Wheelock.<br /><br />

Call me cynical but idle welcomes are pointless. yay go here go there I'm sure/I hope you will have a good productive time. <br />Or is my nasty attitude because of another Wheelock student ??? Forgive me I just hit my head.<br /><br />Anyhow how goes. I do hope that you learn latin instead of Qui homines (some guys) coming initially with great zeal and then slowing down and gradually fading away.

Hi, Glen! Welcome to Textkit! It's a great place for learning Ancient Greek or Latin, as I've been proving myself, albeit slowly. The forum has recently been changed and this is my first attempt at posting a reply, so please forgive me if this doesn't come out right!

Thanks for all of the warm welcomes! Episcopus doesn't bother me, as I was taught to be forgiving of the less fortunate

I don't expect to teach myself Latin from Wheelock. But I do expect
to give myself a headstart with learning Latin in a classroom setting.
And if all I accomplish is to learn more details of English grammar, then
I'm ahead of where I started.

Are there any computer programmers reading this thread? It appears
that the logic I have learned from designing software may help in
learning Latin. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether there is
a true benefit to having the software background?

- I did the same thing with Greek that you are doing with Latin--getting a head start. It was extremely helpful when I got into the class, since the first third of the course was all review so there was a lot more time to absorb and master things! It made the classes later on much more manageable.

- I am also a programmer, but I began my greek studies around the same time I started programming so it's hard to say which helps which the most. Logical and mathematical thinking definitely does assist in language learning, but maybe it depends on the learning methods... it's much more helpful in a wheelock-type course than in, say, a reading only course (which is more inductive). Conversely, I think that my programming skills are helped more by learning how to outline texts and diagram sentences than anything else!

Yes, I think the same skills you need for programming help with a language at the start when you are coming to grips with the grammar. After that it's just read, read, read.

I also started some teach-yourself studies before taking on the university course and it really did help, even just to make yourself familiar with the basics and the terminology. It also helps to start building vocabulary as soon as possible. Having to keep looking up words slows everything down. I sat down and recorded a lot of vocab. on a tape and played it over in the car when I was driving around.